Use Transistors

Normally, when standing outside your local regional airport, you'd need a special radio or scanner to pick up the transmissions coming from that Air Traffic Control tower. Well, not anymore. Kip Kay from Make Magazine will show you how to take an old vintage AM/FM transistor ...more

In this article, I'll show you how to make a simple touch-triggered switch. This is very useful for various electronic projects, from a simple bedside light to a flat panel touch keyboard. The circuit can vary in switching power depending on the transistors you use. For exampl ...more

The transistor is the most basic and important part of electronics, allowing small changes in voltage to turn things on and off. On, off. 0, 1. There's electronics. The grandaddy of them all is the N channel MOSFET, the most important transistor. This video will teach you how ...more

The phase-shift oscillator is one of the most common electronic parts, used in all sorts of mostly noise-making devices. If you like electrical engineering and new a new project, watch this video to learn how to make a phase-shift oscillator out of a single transistor, resisto ...more

The transistor has changed the world since 1947, and the old point contact transistor isn't the scientific darling it's always been. It's still vital to the modern world though, and in this video you'll learn how to make your own point contact transistor with germanium and pho ...more

I have owned quite the plethora of electronics in my life. A commonality between most of these devices' screens is frozen or dead pixels. This is probably the most annoying thing about buying new hardware—your LCD, or worse, LED display has one or more pixels that continues to ...more

In this article, I'll show you how to built a Wireless Transfer of Energy Transmitter. Simply put, this device will send electricity to a florescent light bulb and light it up, from up to three feet. The idea originally (at least, prominently) came from Nikola Tesla (read more ...more

This is the third part of my electromagnetic pulse series (see Part One and Part Two). By now, I've covered the hardware and general concept of electromagnetic pulse generators, but how exactly do they disable electronics? How can an invisible field of energy have such a catas ...more

With the recent launch of the LG V30 and the Pixel 2 XL, LG has reintroduced the world to POLED. This display tech was showcased at CES 2015 and billed as a rival to Samsung's AMOLED displays, then promptly disappeared from the market for two years. But now that two of the big ...more

When I was attending college, my friends had a phantom thief in their dormitory. Almost every night, a different item of food would go missing, never to be seen again. There was constant speculation as to whom the thief was and how to catch them. Security cameras were deemed t ...more

For this project, I decided to rip apart a microwave I found in my neighbor's garbage can to see what was inside. With permission, of course! True story! Video: . The saying goes, "one man's trash is another man's treasure", and with all the parts I found in this abandoned app ...more

Hello again, fellow hackers! Null-Byte is a world to learn about hacking. But in my time here, I've pretty much only seen articles about software hacking. Here at Null Byte, few seem to know about electricity, more specifically electronics. The thing is, using electronics is r ...more

Do you have one of those jobs where the minutes seems to stretch by like hours? Then shaving off an extra twelve might make all the difference. All you need is cunning (to kidnap the workplace clock for the night) and hacking skills (not to worry, creator Randy Sarafan will he ...more

What's the geekiest way to propose to your girlfriend? Make a robot do it for you. As a self-declared dork, RangerX52 wanted to take a simple task like proposing and make it as utterly complicated as possibly—by having a DIY robot do it for him. With knowledge of his lady's i ...more

Welcome back, my novice hackers! In a recent tutorial, I showed you how to use shikata_ga_nai to change the signature of a payload to evade detection by security devices (firewalls, IDS, etc.) and AV software. Shikata_ga_nai is an encoding module in Metasploit that XORs the ...more

I love robots. They have the potential to evolve into Asimovian destroyers of the human species, but have only just mastered the art of cleaning my rug. They have an ever increasing cool factor and a growing number of cheap and simple components that let the hobby roboticist r ...more

With their first attempt at the mobile market, Razer introduced a device that looks at the smartphone differently. Instead of focusing on minimal bezels or an amazing camera, Razer decided to make a phone for gamers. So how could Razer target the growing mobile gaming market, ...more

What feature would we most like to see in the robots of tomorrow? Why, the ability to interact with human beings without crushing them to death, of course. Happily, thanks to a new pressure-sensitive synthetic skin technology, the dream is within reach: "Today’s advanced robo ...more

This year, there's no need to waste time and energy stringing colorful Christmas lights all over your home and yard. All you need is the Circuit Marker from AgIC, a Japanese technology company, and you're ready to deck the halls. Video: . The marker, along with special circuit ...more

This video is a quick overview of the construction of a Blubberbot, an artificial "life form" that uses electronic sensors to seek out lights, sound, or cell phone signals. Blubberbots are typically sold with instructions, which should be used for detailed instructions. But i ...more

It finally happened! In a world of "go big or go home," Magic Leap has finally done something other than tease us with vague promises and rendered video concepts. Although, other than actually showing us what the developer's kit will look like, it seems little more than a slig ...more

This video shows you how to make a prank toy called "The Evasive Beeping Thing." You will need: a 555 timer, a couple of 3904 transistors, a couple of capacitors, some resistors, a 9-volt battery clip, a small speaker, and a small piece of circuit board to settle everything. F ...more

With the new year right around the corner, it's time to talk about the end of the 19th century, a time which plays an enormous role in Steampunk. If you've done any reading of British books written from about 1890 to 1899, you may have come across the phrase 'fin de siecle' an ...more

I'm back. School's an ass. On my quest for knowledge, which started approximately 3 years ago, I can upon an interesting little artifact. It is called the Arduino. What Is the Arduino? The Arduino is an open-sourced prototype board. You use it to make projects, and is great ...more

In this article, I'll show you how to build a simplistic circuit to generate negative ions. Negative ions have been known to contribute to fresher air, happier mood, and general health benefits. However, they also look amazing in the dark (check out the photos below, purple pl ...more

The Stun-Gun In this article, I'll show you how to make a small, weaponized highlighter. Before I get into how to built this device, let me warn you. This device is harmful! When used, it can cause burns and/or serious muscle spasms. The voltage is potentially deadly! DO NOT ...more

Video: . Recycle your hard drive into a hidden flash memory device that only you know how to turn on and use in secret. This DIY hack project allows you to recycle your broken hard drives back to life and turn them into something useful. So far, this project has several funct ...more

Fans of Doctor Who know that the sonic screwdriver is the ultimate tool. It can unlock doors, turn on lights, detect life forms, solder wires, and sabotage weapons. Presumably, the sonic screwdriver creates sonic vibrations to achieve whatever the doctor wants by vibrating th ...more

Building a DIY Alarm System: The Concept So, you want to protect your property, or maybe a room, car, or even your backyard. The concept of an alarm system is to notify the "alarm administrator" that there is an intruder entering the previously designated boundaries. The trig ...more

Welcome to Minecraft World! Check out our advanced tutorials and come play on our free server. You may know that Minecraft is an excellent creative tool, but perhaps less well known are the fascinating array of redstone powered games that have been made by players like you. ...more

See how to build a pulse motor with just one transistor and one diode. A pulse motor will not have the torque that a normal AC motor has. However, this does not mean that a pulse motor is worthless in everyday usages. Torque is going to equal the amperage input to the coil pe ...more

There are many impressive accomplishments in Minecraft, too many to name in fact. Sprawling builds, complex machines, and massive servers are the hallmark of Minecraft and things keep getting bigger and better. No one doubts the epic scale Minecraft has reached, but every once ...more

Just about every household gadget we own runs on 1.5 volt batteries of one size or another. Wouldn't it be great if you could reuse all of those dead AA, AAA, and D batteries after they've passed on? It turns out you can make a simple circuit called a "Joule Thief" to reanimat ...more

You must have seen some expensive mp3 players and CD players which have LEDs fixed on them and they dance to the tune looking really pretty. Imagine you could make your own LEDs and configure them to dance to Daft Punk or Swedish House Mafia. I’m going to tell you how it can ...more

Most of us have given up our big, bulky stereos in favor of smaller, sleeker models, but how many of us actually get rid of the old ones? If you don't like the idea of throwing out or giving away electronics you spent good money on, you can always upgrade them instead! PC486 ...more

In this article, I'll show you how to create a simple yet effective way of scaring off intruders. Of course, there are methods around this approach, but it's great for office pranks and general fun. The project requires a little background knowledge in electronics and circuitr ...more

Since the invention of the mechanical clock, enclosure of the commons, and proletarianization of labor, the alarm clock has been the bane of our existence. While not actually evil, it does represent the constant and uncompromising glare of our owners shaking a patronizing fing ...more

Graffiti is a great way of getting your message out to the masses. The earliest known graffiti dates back to 30,000 years ago and used the traditional apply-paint-to-wall technique. Though our paint now comes in cans and not from scavenged berries, the actual graffiti process ...more

Pranks are fun, but finding a way to maximize the affect of a prank can be tricky. Toilet papering the whole campus or repainting all of the parking spaces slightly smaller can take a long time and a lot of resources. A better plan of attack is to booby trap the choke points w ...more

With the TSA's full-body scanners occupying a great deal of airports nationwide, the debate remains as to whether air travelers should continue to be subject to immoral security techniques and possible health risks due to the x-ray scanning devices. The "advanced imaging techn ...more

Check out this low cost project. This video will show you how to transfer sound over light! Yes, this is possible. You'll transfer a sound with a distance of 5 meters, but you may experiment on greater distances if you'd like. You'll need a laser (or an LED) for this audio pro ...more

Want to learn how to build a laser tripwire and alarm out of snap circuits? I'll show you how to build both circuits— the laser tripwire circuit and the alarm circuit. Video: . The alarm is a very simple two-transistor oscillator that is switched on by the relay in the laser t ...more

Wouldn't it be awesome if your glasses could detect when it's bright outside and automatically darken? Well, the technology has been around for a while, but it'll set you back a few hundred bucks. Dean Segovis over on Hack A Week decided to make his own by hacking a pair of a ...more

Connecting to your headless Raspberry Pi on the go typically requires a network connection or carrying around bulky peripheral hardware like a screen and keyboard. With the help of an old-school connecting standard, though, you can log into your Pi from any computer using a si ...more

At night, it can be pretty difficult to see what's inside drawers and cabinets, unless you have night vision or something. Sure, you can turn on the light, but sometimes you're in such a hurry that you don't have 5 seconds to walk over to the light switch and turn it on. Perh ...more

You like all things Xbox so instead of just playing with it try making your own stuff. You can make a your own Lite-on probe for your Xbox with items you can pick up at RadioShack or a comparable electronic store. Things you will need - DB9 serial connector - Female (pic abov ...more

This video demonstrates a project taken from "Make" magazine. Viewers will learn how to modify an ordinary computer mouse with a vibration unit for use with PC games, similar to the rumble controllers sold for video-game consoles, to make gaming more fun. Step by step, the vi ...more

Razer, the company known for PC peripherals and laptops, is joining the smartphone industry with a new device. Rumors have been swirling since they announced an event on November 1 at 4 PM EDT, but now, we have our best look yet with a leaked promotional video before the actua ...more

Learn how to play "Gamma Ray" by Beck, an acoustic guitar tutorial. Follow along with this demonstration, tabs and lyrics here: Trying to hold Hold out for now With these ice caps Melting down With the transistor sound And my Chevrolet terraplane Going round, round, round Co ...more